I've noticed Sprecher makes better looking beers than any other aspect of the scores. This one is no different, vibrant amber color here with a 1.25" head formation. Aroma kicks that Vienna sweetness in the right range.

High carbonation and a minor hop kick, but its the sweet malt mouthfeel that comes in first. The body stays light, despite giving a caramel sweetness that usually comes with heft and stickiness. Great format, great price. They do a good job on this one, nice around this time of year.

With a nice amber color, it has bready biscuit and dried apricots for the flavor, with the slightly bright hops rounding out the flavor, albeit it’s a little too hoppy. This tastes just like a hoppier version of the Oktoberbest from this brewery and Karl Strauss Brewing in San Diego.

Appearance: Hazy orange-brown body, crowned with a small, coarse off-white head, which slowly collapses. Coarse and chunky lacing lines the glass walls. The carbonation is slight, with fat bubbles that drift lazily to the surface.

Aroma: Munich malt, and caramel, play off against spicy hops for an inviting aroma.

Taste: Opens with toasted bread and caramel, soon followed by spicy hops. Throughout the taste, the malt and hops compliment each other well, with neither dominating the other. Late in the taste, the hops offer a pronounced earthy and grassy quality, with the malt, while still notable, assuming a supporting role. Finishes with a bit of lingering medicinal and herbal bitterness.

Mouth feel: Smooth and full with a bit of zesty carbonation.

Drinkability/notes: A fine example of an uncommon and excellent style that was nearly lost.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can, served in a New Belgium Brewing chalice.

Pours a beautiful pale amber producing 2+ fingers of beige, frothy, somewhat lasting head that leaves a few motes & thin strings of lace. Aroma is a blend of toast & biscuity malt, notes of honey, fruit jelly/marmalade like notes of pear & maybe a hint of peach, cobbler like with a faint grassy hop hint. Taste is malty-sweet up front with the same fruit jelly/marmalade like notes of pear & maybe a hint of peach, cobbler like with less honey than the nose, then come notes of biscuit, toast, caramel, a hint of butter & grassy/herbal hops. Dry in the finish with an astringent & bitter aftertaste with mineral & metallic hints. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation, silky, maybe even a little slick with a nice prickle over the tongue.

Sampled this evening on 11/8/14. Comes in a 16 ounce bottle. Bottle chilled down to 36 degrees F in my beer cooler and poured in to a .5L handled glass stein.

Pours a pretty amber in color with a good 2-finger foamy off-white head that stays around for a while and then settles to a good 3-4mm. A decent amount of lacing is seen when sipped, like a good German brew. The aroma is of malts for the most part. Pretty much the same is for the drink with a slight hoppy and bitter finish. Medium-bodied and good carbonation. Overall, really not a big fan of this type of brew.

Won a free 4 pack at Steve’s on University. Thanks! Lite amber color, two inch head. Has a malty funny sour smell. Nice mellow, smooth flavor. Decent bitterness. The funky sour smell doesn't translate to the taste, which is good. Would without a doubt take another free 4 pack if given one.

Nice lager ,1st one went down real quick after working a double shift. Poured nice copper color in a small lager stein. Looks like a Oktober fest, but taste wise , a nice heavy, well hopped brew.

Malt character, my favorite part of why I prefer lagers, in this Sprecher is nice and heavy. Subdued swetness. The hops hit upfront, bitter, in the mouth. They disappear fast, leaving the taste of a quality lager behind.

Almost too heavy to be a session lager, maybe thats why its a " Special Amber ", but then again...I like that Sprecher makes it available in cans, hopefully Black Bavarian will be next.

Pours a clear amber-colored beer with a white head. Lots of lacing is on the glass and it has good head retention.

Smells of rich caramel malts and reminds me of the aromas in the pot when I homebrew. I also smell earthy hops.

The taste starts with the malty caramel flavor and is soon followed by the light bitterness of earthy hops. There's also a toasted grain aspect that lends some woody notes and even a bit of smokiness to it.

Medium in body with a lightly sweet finish, but well balanced between hops and malts.

A - Special Amber's beautiful deep golden hue shines with bright clarity while crowned by a dense cap of off-white foam that leaves chunky, mountainous peaks of lace on the glass.

S - The aroma of freshly toasted bread fills the nostrils with a lovely Vienna malt presence that's backed up by trails of richer Munich malt breadiness and a sweet drizzle of caramel for a fully malt forward but even-keeled balance.

T - Initial bready malt sweetness is swept away quickly to reveal a more toasted Vienna malt flavor that brings subtle complexities of nuttiness before the brew finishes with a metallic suggestion.

M - Round in feel, this medium bodied lager drinks pretty well due to its balancing hop bitterness and dry toasted malt finish that keeps the beer from being too sweet.

O - One of the two brews that I would consider to be Sprecher's flagships, Special Amber creates a nice, vivid picture of the amber German brews across the pond; malt forward but balanced and drinkable with subtle complexities coming out with each sip.

16 ounce bottle into lager glass, bottled on 6/28/2012. Pours lightly hazy deep golden amber color with a 1 finger dense off white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice soapy lacing clings down the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of caramel, biscuit, toast, brown sugar, pear, apple, raisin, herbal, floral, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance of bready malt and fruity yeast ester notes; with solid strength. Taste of caramel, biscuit, toast, brown sugar, brown bread, pear, apple, herbal, floral, light pepper, and yeast earthiness. Lingering notes of caramel, biscuit, toast, brown sugar, pear, apple, herbal, light pepper, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Good balance and solid robustness of bready malts with fruity/earthy yeast ester flavors; with a good malt/yeast balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish, Medium carbonation and body; with a smooth, crisp, and lightly bready mouthfeel that is good. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a nice vienna lager. Good balance of bready malt and fruity yeast ester flavors; and very smooth to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.

Special Amber pours a darker golden color with a small head. There is a slightly hoppy aroma. The taste has a noticeable hop flavor, but mostly on a flat malty backbone. Good flavors, and good body, but a bit harsh on the tongue. Overall its a not bad Vienna lager, good full flavors, but a bit boring and harsh.

Pours slightly hazed amber with a thick off-white head that decends to a thin cover and stays. Trailing lace sticks.

The smell is of a floral hop aroma with a toasted caramel backing. Very pleasant.

The taste of toasted malt initially gives a slightly metallic tinge to it, but fortunately that soon fades. Caramel mixes with a floral/lemony citric hop touch. Finishes with a refreshing dryness, with caramel coming back in the aftertaste.

Although it could be smoother for a lager, it is refreshing and easy to drink.

While softly roasted caramel-ish malt is in the spotlight, it does have a noticeable noble hop touch, especially in the aroma. It works well enough to be an enjoyable lager!

Sprecher Special Amber has a thick, creamy, spongy, head, a clear, amber, somewhat bubbly appearance, and a lot of heavy lacing left behind. The aroma is subdued, but one can pick up pungent, bready, medium-toasted malt, and the flavor is of sweet, bready, malt, white bread crust, slight toffee, and elevated, punchy hop bitterness. There is a medium mouthfeel, and Sprecher Special Amber finishes crisp, clean, refreshing, and quite drinkable. Overall, this is an almost perfect, flawless lager, and I rate it outstanding!

Sprecher is only now distributing frequently to our area and I have had this one on my "want" list for some time. And now it's in cans (so it tastes like it was just made). Picked-it up last night (cold) and took it home. Poured deep golden/amber with nice 1/2 inch cream-color foam on top. Ample carbonation brought out a subtle malt smell and hint of bitterness in the nose. Initial taste was biscuity malt with a hint (just enough) of sweetness, followed by a refreshing hops bitterness that immediately tickles the taste buds and makes your mouth water. As it warmed, it just got better, lacing the glass all the way down. Very well balanced, very drinkable (maybe too drinkable) and yet with a craft-brew mouthfeel and only 5% ABV, it was hard to put down. Excellent!

a - poured a two-fingers thick bubbly, light tan head into a tulip glass that left a thin ring of lace. this had some floaties in it, not sure if the can was old or what. the body was a bright amber color.
s - sweet caramel with some floral hops. hint of lemon.
t - caramel, apples, bready.
m - slick and thin with some crispness.
o - pretty good session lager. i'd drink this again especially if it was fresher.